the ubm speaker handbook

HOW TO AVOID DEATH BY POWERPOINT

HOW TO AVOID DEATH BY POWERPOINT2

In this handbook we cover:P3. Plan your narrative

P5. Formats for high levels ofaudience participation

P6. Craft your presentation structure, content and slides

P10. Practice your delivery

P12. Raise your profile pre-show

P14. 11 tips before you go on stage

P16. Better panel debates

Speaking at an exhibition or conference is both an honour and a responsibility to your audience.

This handbook will help you have the best possible experience by pulling together expert advice from a number of sources, including world-famous TED Talks.

Think of it as a set of guidelines rather than a rulebook; theres no rigid structure you need to stick to and we know there are many ways of delivering an engaging presentation. Most importantly, we want to encourage you to be creative and deliver your message in the most impactful way possible.

If you have any questions about your session, or ideas for how you could promote it in advance, do not hesitate to get in contact with your UBM Content Coordinator.

We would like to wish you the best of luck with your UBM speaker engagement and hope you enjoy the experience with us.

Thanks,

The UBM Content team

WELCOME TO THE SPEAKER HANDBOOK

THE SPEAKER HANDBOOK

Your guide to better, more memorable presentations


The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send out but by what the listener receives Lilly Walters

Understand your audienceBefore you think about writing your presentation or firing up PowerPoint, start by thinking about your audience. What do you know about them, what problems do they have and what would be helpful for them to learn? Shift your focus onto their needs rather than your own achievements and you will be able to create a far more meaningful connection with your audience.

Its often worth speaking to industry colleagues about your presentation too; ask them what they would find interesting and what problems they would like help in solving.

Write a punchy title and synopsisIf your title and synopsis hasnt been written for you by a UBM Content Producer, youll need to think about the core message you want to deliver. Again, focus on their needs and show how attending your talk will help them. A good idea is to summarise the elevator pitch like a tweet, in no more than 140 characters.

Construct your presentation as a journey of where you started and where you have ended up. This provides a structure for your talk and gets rid of any details which do not progress that narrative.Many of the best talks have a narrative structure that loosely follows a detective story. The speaker starts out by presenting a problem and then describes the search for a solution. Finally theres an aha moment, where the final solution is presented and the audiences perspective shifts in a meaningful way.

Like any good story, presentations should have chapters to help the audience (and the storyteller) keep focus. Make the direction of your presentation clear at the beginning, perhaps with a quick contents page/brief presentation outline. Then verbally or visually give your listeners signposts throughout so they know where youre up to in the story.

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PLAN YOUR NARRATIVE

If you would like background information on your audience and advice on how to pitch your presentation, contact your UBM Content Coordinator.


Hook the audience in in your opening paragraphWork out how you can quickly grab the audiences attention on the day, for example by promising something thats going to happen as a result of listening.

Example: By the end of this presentation you will understand the 5 key reasons why this project was so successful and youll have a list of actions which would enable you to implement a similar project plan at your organisation.

Another way to hook the audience in is by putting them into an imaginary scenario which emphasises the importance of your presentation. Consider the two opening addresses for a presentation about health & safety regulations, a potentially dry topic.

Option one: Today Im going to talk to you about the new legislation which is going to impact Health & Safety Managers

from next year. Failure to comply with the legislation will result in fines, so its important to get to grips with it now so youre best prepared when it comes into effect.

Option two: Imagine youre at home, enjoying a happy weekend with your family after working hard all week, when all of a sudden, out of the blue two police officers turn up at your door. They escort you out of your home, into the back of their car and take you straight to prison. This may seem like a scene in a film, but its actually a very real concern of Health & Safety Managers have up and down the country. Next year important changes are coming in health & safety legislation and today Im going to help you prepare to protect yourself and your organisation..

Find your story It is impossible to overemphasise the importance of narrative in a talk. Humans dont learn by listening to strings of facts. We learn from stories and examples.

PRESENTATION STRUCTURE


The more you can get your audience to participate in your session, the more likely they are to remember it. Here are some ideas to create more interactive styles of learning.

Fire-starter brainstorm: Give a short introduction to your thoughts on your topic and then encourage the audience to brainstorm ideas with you. A good way to get delegates to open up is by making them discuss each question on the agenda for a few minutes with others at their table. Make a note of everyones ideas on a board at the front of the room.

Crowd polling presentation: Bring the audience into your presentation with real-time polls. Pose a series of multiple-choice questions throughout your session and get the crowds collective response instantly using real-time polling tools. Depending on your event, it might be possible to do this digitally. The results of all crowd polls will be recorded and shared post-event with delegates.

Team competition: After a brief intro, set delegates a task or problem-solving activity to work on in teams. Once their collaboration time is up, get each table to pitch you their ideas and convince you they should win the competition. You judge the best team and present the winners with a prize.

Practical exercises: Share the theory behind the practice in a university-style seminar. Integrate a lecture, practical exercises and group discussion for a well-rounded session. You might also bring hand-outs for you students and use the whiteboard for your notes.

Hands-on demos: Encourage delegates not just to listen, but to act and question with a hands-on demo. Use these practical taster sessions to let your audience get to grips with a product and see how it works.

Lightning talks: Be one of several speakers with five minutes each to expound your views on whats hot, whats not and whats next in your chosen topic. Presentation content and format is entirely up to individual speakers. After each speaker has taken the podium, delegates will discuss and each roundtable will vote for their favourite. Tables will cast their vote and the winning speaker will be presented with a bottle of champagne.

Speed pitches: This is all about the pitching your big idea and starting discussion around it. Presenters are dotted around the room and each time a buzzer sounds a small group of delegates will come over to hear your talk. Make the most of several rounds of intimate groups discussions for feedback of your big idea.

FORMATS FOR HIGH LEVELS OF AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

If you would like to try different formats of presentation, feel free to discuss with your UBM Content Coordinator.

The best way of learning about anything is by doing Sir Richard Branson


Talk about what you knowOne of the differences between great presentations and mediocre is the presenters knowledge of their material. A great presenter not only knows what points they are making, but knows why those things are important.

Share something newTheres nothing worse than hearing the same case studies youve heard before, so always challenge yourself to talk about something different, not the same talk you have presented before.

Be helpfulTry to solve a problem that the audience will probably have by demonstrating a strategy, method, or approach other individuals can use. The more practical, real-world examples that you audience can take away and action, the better.

One of the most helpful things you can share is failures and what you have learned from them, so dont be afraid to show some vulnerability.

Dont give a sales pitch; it absolutely turns the audience off. Delegates attend presentations for thought leadership and one of the most common complaints Conference Producers get is when speakers abuse their position to pitch a product or service.

Dont pack in too much inOne of the biggest problems presenters have is trying to cover too much ground. If you try to cram in everything you know, the point(s) you are trying to make risk becoming lost. Limit the scope of your talk so that you can go deeper into a particular niche.

Remember minds drift after 10 minutesDuring the first 10 minutes of a presentation the audiences attention will be at its peak, so it is a good idea to make your main points early in the presentation. When putting the presentation together include something at every 10 minute mark that will re-grab their attention.

Summarise in threesA technique successfully used in literature, copywriting and politics is presenting ideas and information in sets of threes. Use lists of three throughout your presentation when honing in on key points to make them easier for your audience to remember.

Make it tweetableModern audiences have their smartphones in their hand while they listen to you, so help them to find quotes or stats to tweet by writing these stats on the screen. You can keep your twitter handle and the events hashtag at the bottom of the screen to make it easy for them.

CRAFTING YOUR PRESENTATIONDont know the events twitter hashtag? Ask your Content Coordinator.

Its much easier to be convincing if you care about your topic. Figure out whats important to you about your message and speak from the heart Nicholas boothman


PowerPoint can be fantastic communication tool. No, really it can! But it has to be used with care.Think about your slides as a visual aide that supports your presentation rather than a script or summary of what youre saying. The best presenters will keep the amount of text on their slides to a minimum where possible/relevant so that the delegates attention is always on what theyre saying.

A good example of this is how Bill Gates style of presentation has developed over the years. Aim to be more like the new and improved version (right):

Dont use too many words The number one error that almost everyone makes with presentation slides: too many. Dont

use them as a memory trigger for what you want to say thats what speaker notes are for.We use the same parts of our brains to process spoken language and written language. So if you show someone a slide containing more than a few words, they have to choose between reading your slides and listening to you speak. We are physically incapable of doing both at the same time. So if you must use words on your slides, use very few. No complete sentences.

One thing per slideWhatever you have on the screen should serve to emphasise whatever you are saying at that moment in time. If it illustrates something else, it could confuse people rather help them understand what you are saying.

WHAT TO PUT ON YOUR SLIDES

Ive learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou

If you have an important point to make, dont try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. Sir Winston Churchill

BEFORE AFTER


The brain processes visual information 60,000 times quicker than words. Well chosen, strong visuals can be the perfect accompaniment to message you are communicated verbally.Find images and graphs to help explain, give context to your story or amplify points that you are making with your voice and your body language. No matter what, your slides should serve to enhance your presentation, not to distract from it. Dont be terrified of text and bullet points. They are OK when that is the best way to communicate the message

VideosUsing video content can be very effective, but there are common mistakes that should be avoided. A clip needs to be shortif its more than 60 seconds, you risk losing people. And dont use corporate promotional videos as your audience will quickly switch off.

Important technical note: If you are planning to use video content within your presentation, we recommend you also provide the video file separately to the presentation. AV technicians can then re-embed this for you if there are issues when transporting the file.

Graphs and statisticsIf youre using statistics or graphs in your slides, ask yourself, what do they actually mean? What am I actually trying to tell the audience? Make sure anything you use supports your message, rather than confuse it. And if youre using graphs, make sure theyre clear and easy to read.

The audience are likely to remember only three things from your presentation or speech Stephen Keague

THE IMPORTANCE OF IMAGES


Remember to send your Content Coordinator your presentation slides early to ensure a smooth onsite experience. They would be more than happy to discuss ideas for your presentation

PowerPoints 16:9 aspect ratio is what most AV technicians recommend. If you send a PowerPoint presentation with 4:3 aspect ratio it will still work, however the presentation might not fit the whole screen and could result in black bars at either side of your presentation.

Prezi is a great alternative to PowerPoint. It can let you be more creative and has lots of free templates which can make your slides really stand out. If you havent used Prezi before and would like advice on using it, contact your UBM Content Coordinator.

FontsIt might sound obvious, but use clear fonts and colours for the most effective slides. (Anything below 20pt is probably too small.)

Top and tail your presentation Your first and last slides could be onscreen for up to 5 minutes each, before and after youre onstage, so use that to your advantage. Create an eye-popping cover slide and title to attract audiences attention. The first slide should intrigue the audience, and your final slide should end with a call to action.Put your contact details and social media links on both so that the audience can easily follow up with you afterwards.

SLIDE FORMAT


TOP TIPS

Convince the audience by taking them on a journey, Chris Anderson, Founder TEDIf you frame the talk as a journey, the biggest decisions are figuring out where to start and where to end. To find the right place to start, consider what people in the audience already know about your subjectand how much they

care about it. If you assume they have more knowledge or interest than they do, or if you start using jargon or get too technical, youll lose them. The most engaging speakers do a superb job of very quickly introducing the topic, explaining why they care so deeply about it, and convincing the audience members that they should, too.

Go for Big Bang Moments Lara Doyle, UBMThe best advice Ive ever received is to make sure to have some Big Bang Moments. The number would depend on the length of the presentation, but as a rule of thumb, one to start, one in the middle and one at the end.

So what is a BBM? Its a moment to draw/captivate the attention of the audience. This could be a very short video, a couple of mind-blowing facts or a great joke.

And the purpose?

1. Jolt your audience awake, focus their attention and letthem know who is in charge (it also allows the speaker amoment to gain composure)2. Its the equivalent to giving the audience a chance to standand stretch, and if their minds have begun to wander, tobring the back to the present (it also allows the speaker a moment to have a rest)3. End the presentation on a high. The audience will alwaysremember the speaker and the speaker will feel great.

Emulate great politicians John Welsh, UBM If you listen carefully to great politicians, you will notice that they speak to all four types of people in the audience: those that are inspired by visions,

those that need data to back up anycomment,

those that are concerned foremost by the impact on ourpeople and

those that just want to know what the next step is. The example might be President Obama launching universal healthcare. I want to bring about universal, free health care for all our

citizens before I leave office. The reason I want to do this is that a specific percentage of

our citizens are not covered by healthcare, a figure that isrising by a specific percentage year on year.

We must do this because the impact on those of our citizens who have no healthcare is that it destroys families (andhe tell a story here about an individual).

So I will be introducing legislation later this year and seek toget it passed within two years.

Once you understand the technique, you will begin to notice how many effective politicians do this.


Make sure you build in time to rehearse the presentation several times either to yourself or in front of family or friends. Its a great way to practice your stories and figure out your pace. Then when you have to perform for real, your brain doesnt have to figure it out from scratch.

Dont feel like you have to talk constantly allow the story, and the slides, time to breathe.Be conscious of your errs and umms; its surprising how many repeat these noises without realising, but you can be sure your listeners will be distracted if you do it much.

Tone and projectionWork on your tone of voice and make sure you arent monotone. Think of your speech like a piece of jazz music use plenty of inflection and add pauses for dramatic effect.

A little trick for hearing how you sound to other people: cup one ear with one hand and use other to create tunnel to your mouth. Then when you talk youll hear your own voice just as it sounds to everyone else.

You should also project your voice loudly and clearly. Even though youll have a microphone, speak louder than you normally would imagine youre throwing your voice to the back of the audience, not the front, and youll sound more confident. Again, practising in front of someone else will be the best way to get this right.

Prompts and memoryThe best presentations have been memorised, but if you dont have time to learn a speech thoroughly, go with bullet points on note cards. Practise so that you dont have to read from your notes. Instead have a series of prompts the first line for each slide, say so that you stay on track, but natural in delivery.

Speakers minds often go completely blank just before they go on stage or when they make first eye contact with the audience. Overcome this by preparing a few prompts to get you going. Have your first 90 seconds memorised or absolutely nailed, and you should soon find your rhythm.

TimingThere should be hostess in your room who will let you know when youre coming to the end of your allocated slot. If you are running out of time, and know youre not going to be able to cover everything, stop. Jump past a couple of slides if you need to make one last point.Q&As Its generally recommended that you leave around 5 minutes of questions from the audience -questions give you a chance to elaborate on something that wasnt clear, and help the audience feel like you are approachable and a peer.

You might not get any questions though, and its good to have a back-up just in case. You might want to ask the audience a question, leave them with your final thought or give them something to go away and think about.

PRACTICE ALOUD, AT LEAST ONCE

It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. Mark Twain


In the months before the event, we will be looking for opportunities to promote you across our websites, email newsletters and social media; this is a prime opportunity to get people excited about hearing you speak.

To do this we require content that demonstrates your expertise. It shouldnt give too much of your presentation away, but should act as a teaser to make the people who could potentially attend think This sounds good. Im going to make sure Im there.

There are several different types of content you could produce, including:Blog: Write around 600 words related to the topic you will be discussing, an interesting opinion you hold or a case study youve worked on. Think about including images, a couple of slides from your presentation or graphs to illustrate.

Interview: Answer around 5-10 questions related to the content of your talk either via email, over the phone or on video.

Whitepaper: If you have any research papers which are related to the content of your talk, send them to us and we can distribute to the target audience.

Twitter Q&A: Use a live twitter event as a way to build an audience in the weeks ahead of your appearance.

Content promotionOnce your blog or interview has been published by UBM, we would also encourage you to share it widely with your own networks, via: LinkedIn, Twitter, any association newsletters you are a part of or any other channels you deem suitable. We can supply you with event banners for use on websites, emails and social media to help you with this.

The more pre-show buzz we can create together, the more delegates we will be able to get in front of you when you come to give your presentation.

RAISE YOUR PROFILE PRE-SHOW

We are always interested in pre-show content so please keep speak to your UBM Content Coordinator.


11 TIPS BEFORE YOU GO ON STAGE

Gina Barnett advises a speaker during TED2014. Photo: Ryan Lash/TED

1. Start drinking water 15 minutes before you start talkingIf you tend to get dry mouth start drinking water 15 minutes before you go onstage. Why? Because the microphone will pick up that sticky, clicky sound. When you close your mouth, dont let your tongue hit the roof of your mouth, Barnett offers as a pro tip to avoid popping audio. Imagine a half a plum on your tongue, which will keep a vacuum from forming.

2. Psych yourself up, not out. Barnett warns that negative self-talk can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So dont stand backstage thinking, What if I mess up? Think more like an athlete before a big game, she says. Psych yourself up with phrases like, Im so excited! Itll be great! I cant wait to share this idea! Basically, whatever key phrase makes you feel happy. Even just thinking the word YES! over and over feel how the thought enters your body and boosts your confidence, she says.

3. Use your bodys nervous energy for good. Dont try to contain all your nervous energy. Let it move through you and energize you for your talk. Do isometrics while you waiting backstage if it helps. Shake your hands out. Barnett remembers one TED speaker who found

a private corner backstage to put on headphones and dance and that speaker walked onstage feeling like a rockstar. And, if nothing else, always remember TED star Amy Cuddy and how to power pose.

4. Focus on your breath when you feel the adrenaline. What should you do if you feel the panic of nerves? Breeeeeathe, says Barnett, extending the sound. Were often not aware of how shallow our breath becomes when were nervous or stressed. The exercise Barnett recommends: Take three or four conscious, evenly-paced, smooth inhalations and exhalations. Let the belly go and let the breath go all the way down into your abdomen. This can center your energy and focus your thoughts.

5. Beware of repetitive motion. On stage, people often deal with adrenaline by unconsciously swaying or shifting their weight from foot to foot. This is not good. Repetitive movements are distracting and set up a lullaby pattern in the audiences brain, says Barnett. The best way to make sure you arent doing this? Rehearse in front of people, who can point it out to you. And also rehearse out loud in front of a mirror to self-diagnose.

Gina Barnett, a TED speaker coach shares 11 public speaking tips for right before you go on stage.


11 TIPS BEFORE YOU GO ON STAGE11 TIPS BEFORE YOU GO ON STAGE (CONT...)

6. Think about how to use movement wisely. You can walk, says Barnett, but not pace. You can step forward and or back, but not rock. These are just as bad as swaying they create that lull. Barnett has a great tip for how to make sure that you move in a way that adds to your talk rather than detracts from it. Practice moving to make a new point, she says. Try coming closer to the audience when the content of your talk calls for it. One technique she likes for this rehearse while standing on newspapers spread out on the floor. Youll be able to hear your movement as the paper crunches so you can really move with intention and purpose.

7. Use your tone to strengthen your words. Merge your tone with the topic of your speech, says Barnett. Dont deliver great news in a monotone voice or serious news too excitedly, as disjunctions like that will distract the audience. Barnett recommends going through your script and tagging what each piece of news means. By doing that, you can focus on how your tone can strengthen the message, rather than undermine what you are trying to get across.

8. Give people a chance to adjust to your accent. Everyone has an accent at least, when someone else is listening. Luckily, TED has a global audience and is very comfortable with hearing different varieties of speech. That said, speakers can make their accents more accessible to listeners all over the world. Barnetts advice: keep your opening sentences slow and over-enunciated, so the audience can adapt to the way you speak. Our ears are trained to adjust to accents, says Barnett.

9. Focus on something outside of yourself. Barnett has a favourite exercise for someone who is just about to go onstage: she calls it focusing out. She explains: Pick anything like the color green and look all around you to see where you spot it in the room. Or pick an object to observe. Notice what shoes people are wearing, or whos wearing a watch. Or try paying attention to how light reflects off surfaces. Doing something like this will shift the focus from whats going on in your body and mind to something outside. It can definitely help you relax.

10. Remember that the audience likes you. As Barnett says, The audience as big, scary and remote as they may seem is totally on your side. They want you to have a good time up there, they want to hear your ideas, even if they dont agree with them, and they want you to succeed. Enough said.

11. And finally, no matter how well you prepare be okay with the unexpected. You may forget a word; someone may drop something backstage; there might be a technical difficulty. Take a moment, breathe deeply and just roll with it. As one TED speaker laughed today as her slides spiraled out of order in rehearsal: Its just about having fun, right?


Being part of a panel debate is a very different experience to a presenting. Without the safety net of a pre-prepared script, you will be expected to use on-the-spot intuition, charm, and a few killer quotes if you are to perform well.

Prepare!Even though you wont be delivering a formal presentation you must prepare for a panel discussion. Whats the best way to start preparing? By understanding the audience and by understanding your role on the panel.

You would have been invited to join the panel because of a specific perspective you can offer, and you should find out a bit about the other panellists, so you know what you can contribute that they cant. Speak to fellow panellists, if possible, to establish a rapport before you on stage. Your UBM Content Coordinator will be able to help put you in touch.

Nuggets of gold Without it seeming forced, it is useful to have nuggets of gold front of mind to bring into the conversation. An unexpected metaphor, a joke, quotes, powerful facts, lists of three or buzz phrases. These all add variety, depth and emotional buy-in to a talk.

Short, sharp storiesStories resonate like nothing else. If you want to be remembered and you want your ideas to stick, few things beat a well-told story. Come prepared with anecdotes, examples and stories that capture your points. That will be a lot more effective than dumping a ton of data and information on your audience. Remember to be succinct, though. Keep your stories short and focused so you dont dominate the conversation.Grab the moment Unlike a speech, you do not have total control as a member of a panel. Its unlikely that youll tell

If you would like the contact details of other panel members, please contact your Content Coordinator.

BETTER PANEL DEBATES

The audience are likely to remember only three things from your presentation or speech Stephen Keague

16

your whole story in one go. A panel is an exercise in navigation, and requires a speaker to build perspective through smaller sound bites. You have to spot the opportunities and grab them. Opening introductions is your first chance to offer a short summary of your point-of-view, and youre likely to be designated a slot of time that is entirely yours.

Other moments you can own include relating your story to a question from the moderator, providing a build from another panelist, or using a question from the audience as a way to launch another dimension of your story.

Listen to other panelistsWhen the other panelists are talking, listen to what they have to say and extend the conversation. Refer to points a fellow panelist has made and build on them (or point out areas where you respectfully disagree everyone likes a panel where speakers argue different points of view).

Using bridging phrases such as like, Id like to address that question Let me add something to that idea or We take a different perspective at my company... to makes for a more fluid and engaging discussion.

Keep your energy upKeeping your energy up is essential. If you have to be seated, dont slouch or lean back as that will drain the energy right out of you. Lean in and stay physically engaged.

Be prepared to assert yourself Inevitably theres a playground bully lurking in the audience, and its up to you to keep him in line. Anticipate tough questions, correct inaccuracies from the floor and take control when questioning becomes difficult. Phrases like Lets step back and look at the bigger picture can give you the ability to reframe a discussion. Most importantly, dont let the hostile questioner derail the event. If you have to, suggest continuing the discussion at another time.

BETTER PANEL DEBATES (CONT...)


WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR EXPERIENCE

With thanks to the following information sources:TED Blog A TED speaker coach shares 11 tips for right before you go on stagePresentation Zen: Making presentations in the TED styleHarvard Business Review: How to Give a Killer Presentation - an interview with Chris AndersonKetchum: Five Tips on Being an Effective Panel Speaker

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